The Rewards of Honesty
by beautyinsleep
Summary: Sometimes a little honesty and some help from your friends can be a good thing. Somewhat of a prequel to The Rewards of Lying. KakaSaku, slight GenmaIno oneshot.


**The Rewards of Honesty**

"Why don't you just _go for it_?" Ino asked, giving her friend an encouraging nudge, and took a sip of her drink.

Sakura shrugged, her eyes again drifting to the door as someone—a rather depressed looking young man—walked into the local bar.

The blonde sighed and shook her head. "You know, Sakura, you're not very...subtle. Anyone who watches you for about five seconds could figure out what you're doing."

Her friend said nothing, watching as a laughing couple strolled in.

"You're pathetic."

More silence.

Ino rolled her eyes. "So, Sakura. You're going to watch until _he_ gets here, as usual. And what are you going to do when he finally arrives?" She paused, took another drink, not so Sakura could answer (because she knew she wouldn't), but for dramatic effect. "You're going to sit there, silent as the grave, watching him with his friends. As usual." She sighed again. "Sakura, that's so _boring_."

Sakura slid her gaze across the room, not pausing even for a second as it passed over Ino.

"Why don't you just try something different tonight? Who knows? Maybe he's been harboring a secret affection for you, too." Ino huffed at Sakura's blank look. "Well, you never know until you try."

And then _he_ walked in.

Sakura suddenly sat up in her seat and smiled over at her friend, who at first thought she'd finally spurred a reaction from the lovesick girl. But a casual glance toward the entrance told her the opposite, which didn't surprise Ino at all. It happened like this almost every night, and Ino was sick and tired of it.

"Haruno Sakura, tonight we're going to change things up a bit," Ino declared, more than a little forceful in her determination. She grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her towards the man.

"Ino-pig, what are you doing?" Sakura whispered furiously, tugging free and practically running back to the safety of their booth.

"Something you're not—taking the initiative." Ino stood with her hands on her hips. "Come on, Forehead, you're supposed to be the smart one."

Still slightly miffed, Sakura glared. "Meaning?"

Ino let out a long-suffering sigh. "Meaning, if you don't start doing something different, nothing's ever going to change. _He_'s obviously not going to start anything, if the thought has even crossed his mind."

o

"One eye! Here, you can sit by me!" a drunk (and, thankfully, somehow less violent) Anko yelled out as he approached his usual table.

The Copy nin let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe some other time, Anko," he replied quickly, ignoring her slightly put-out look as he slid into a chair on the opposite end of the table.

"Yo, scarecrow man," Genma drawled around his senbon.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask in greeting, opened up his newest volume of _Icha Icha_, and began to read, easily tuning out the noisy surroundings.

Genma shot a look at a back corner of the bar, taking in the tall, leggy blonde lecturing her pink-haired friend. "So, Kakashi..."

He flipped to the next page, seemingly oblivious.

Of course, he_ wasn't_. In fact, Genma knew that if he concentrated hard enough (he'd already had a few drinks), he could even catch the lightning quick glances over to _her_. "Don't tell me you're just going to _read _tonight." When silence was his only answer, he continued, "I know what you're doing, Kakashi, and you're not the intelligent Copy nin I thought you were if you think I don't."

"And what am I doing?" he asked without even looking up.

"Making goo-goo eyes over your stupid book at _her_, that's what. And how she hasn't noticed yet is beyond me. You're so damn _obvious_," Genma stated, disgusted. "Can't you be a little more...devious? You're a jounin, for kami's sake! It's disgraceful! Are you even listening?"

"Unfortunately. You sound like a nagging old woman."

"Yeah, well,_ unfortunately_, someone around here has to, or else nothing would get accomplished. I mean, look at you, sitting there, pretending to read your book while sneaking glances at her. You do that every night. You really are pathetic." And if this is what love does, I'm going to avoid it like the plague. "Which is why I've decided that tonight is going to be different."

A silver eyebrow rose. "Different how?"

o

"Get him drunk and then ravish him? Are you _crazy_?"

Ino crossed her arms. "Do you have any other ideas?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, but—"

"So that's what we have to work with. Besides, if he's drunk, he won't even care that you're ravishing him," Ino reasoned.

She bit her cheek. "Uh, don't you think it's a bit soon for ravishing? How about just kissing?"

"Sure, whatever you want to do. Now, I don't know why you two don't ever get together in here—you seem connected at the hip everywhere else—but you're going to have to break that strange habit, and fast."

The other girl shrugged. "It's just an unspoken rule, I guess. We're around each other so much, it's...kind of nice to take a break."

Ino huffed. "Nice, my ass. All this 'break' does is make you mope around until you get back with him in the morning for training."

She started to object, then, "Do I really mope?"

"Yeah, Forehead, you do. But don't worry," Ino said, patting her arm consolingly, "we've got a plan here that's going to change all that."

o

"Pretend to be drunk and let her ravish me? How drunk are _you_?"

"What's wrong with that? You've said before that you've lost your ability to get drunk—you were telling the truth, weren't you?" At his friend's slight nod, Genma went on. "You're very good at pretending, although I'm sure you won't be pretending much when it comes to letting her ravish you. Of course," Genma mused, "I suppose that if _you _wanted to do the ravishing, that'd work, too..."

Kakashi gave up. "Why did I ever tell you about her?"

"Well, you didn't really tell me...I kind of guessed it, and you didn't say no—"

"Are you sure I was even paying attention?"

"Oh, come on, Kakashi, don't deny it. You're crazy for her." He started to leer in that direction. "I know I wouldn't mind—"

"Genma," Kakashi growled warningly.

"What?" He put on an innocent face as a busty waitress arrived with the beer he'd ordered. "I was talking about the blonde," he said, sliding the drink in front of Kakashi.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, or I'll do it for you."

If anything, the smirk grew. "Why? A little forced honesty never hurt anyone. Now," he pushed the glass closer to the scowling man, "drink up."

o

Sakura glanced nervously over at the two older ninja across the room. "If this goes horribly wrong—and there's a high probability that it _will_—I'm sorry that I ever told you about him."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's what you deserve for being honest with your best friend. And remember, if it does go wrong, he probably won't even remember it in the morning. Now, _get_," Ino said, giving her friend a push.

And more than a few hours later, Ino watched as pink hair blended with silver as an amused Sakura helped a stumbling Kakashi out of the bar. She glanced over at her partner-in-crime and, seeing that he was already grinning at her, sent him a teasing wink.

Genma ambled on over and leaned down next to her, murmuring, "Now that _that_'s over, how 'bout you and me do a little celebrating?"


End file.
